It is sometimes necessary to use aerial ladders on fire fighting equipment and the like in order to reach the upper floors of multistory buildings to effect rescue of persons or to support a hose in an elevated position to direct water onto the roof or into the upper stories of multistory buildings. If the person being rescued is injured, then a rescue basket is used with a rope attached thereto and the rope is strung across one of the rungs near the end of the fly section of the aerial ladder, with the basket suspended therefrom and the basket is lowered to the ground, using the rung as a pulley for supporting the rope and basket. Similarly, when a hose is raised to an elevated position to discharge water onto the roof or into the upper stories of a building, the hose is supported on an uppermost rung of the ladder. The rungs on aerial ladders are typically covered with a friction material and, accordingly, it is not practicable to support the rope or hose directly on the rung, since damage to either the rung or rope or hose, or to both, would probably result.
Therefore, in the prior art several devices are provided for attachment to the rungs of a ladder, which devices have rollers thereon to rollably support the rope or hose. Such prior art devices are either expensive to manufacture or are difficult and time consuming to apply to and remove from the rungs of the ladder or they are subject to being dislodged from the rungs during use thereof.
In accordance with the present invention, a quick attaching and quick releasing roller attachment is provided for aerial ladders, which is economical to manufacture and is quick and easy to apply to and remove from the rungs and which remains in a securely latched position on the rungs during use thereof.